Computational examination of the electrophilic reaction on oxidative polymerization of phenyltrimethylsilane with sulfur chloride

Phenyltrimethylsilane possesses a higher HOMO energy (–9.34 eV) than nonsubstituted benzene (>0.41 eV). The π electron of the phenyltrimethylsilane localizes on the benzene ring at the ipso position rather than at the para position. Two center energies calculated by the MNDO-PM3 method indicate that the C? Si bond is facilitated to cleave in comparison with the C? H (para position) one of the benzene ring. Phenyltrimethylsilane and phenyl bis(trimethylsilane) were polymerized with sulfur chloride through the cationic oxidative polymerization. The product is isolated as oligo(p-phenylene sulfide), with a melting point of 150–190°C. An electrophile attacks the carbon atom linked to the Si atom in phenyltrimethylsilane. The new synthetic route of PPS can be established on the basis of the computational calculation.     

A computational study on the reactivity enhancement in the free radical polymerization of alkyl α‐hydroxymethacrylate and acrylate derivatives

The free radical polimerizability behavior of alkyl α‐hydroxymethacrylate (RHMA) derivatives ( M1–M3 ) has been modeled by considering the propagation of the dimeric units of the compounds of interest. All the transition structures in this class of monomers are stabilized by long‐range C?O…H? C interactions. The RHMA monomer bearing the ester functionality ( M2 ) polymerizes slightly faster than the one with the ether functionality ( M1 ) because of stronger electrostatic interactions between the C?O and H? C groups. 2‐(Methoxycarbonyl)allyl benzoate ( M3 ) shows higher reactivity as compared to M1 and M2 due to stronger electrostatic interactions. The same type of study has been carried out for hexyl ( M4 ), benzyl ( M5 ), and phenyl ( M6 ) acrylate derivatives whose increasing reactivity has been attributed to the presence of C?O…H? C, C?O…H‐? as well as π–π stabilizing interactions, respectively. While B3LYP/6‐31+G(d) has been used to locate the stationary points along the free radical polymerization of nonaromatic species, long‐range stabilizing interactions have only been detected with M06‐2X/6‐31+G(d). The kinetics that we obtain with this latter methodology for the free radical polymerization reactions of M1 – M6 agree well qualitatively with experiment. An implicit solvent model has reproduced the kinetics of M1–M3 in benzene the best. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

Molecular engineering of liquid crystalline polymers by “living” polymerization. XXXII. Synthesis and “living” cationic polymerization of 3-fluoro-4′-(ω-vinyloxyalkoxy)-4-biphenylyl (2r,3s)-2-fluoro-3-methylpentanoate with undecanyl and octyl alkyl groups

The synthesis and “living” cationic polymerization of 3-fluoro-4′-(11-vinyloxyundecany-loxy)-4-biphenylyl (2R,3S)-2-fluoro-3-methylpentanoate ( 12-11 ) and 3-fluoro-4′-(8-vi-nyloxyoctyloxy)-4-biphenylyl (2R,3S)-2-fluoro-3-methylpentanoate ( 12-8 ) are presented. Poly ( 12-11 )s and poly ( 12-8 )s with degrees of polymerization from 4.0 to 16.5 and poly-dispersities ≤ 1.13 have been synthesized and characterized by differential scanning cal-orimetry (DSC) and thermal optical polarized microscopy. Over the entire range of molecular weights poly ( 12-11 )s and poly ( 12-8 )s exhibit an enantiotropic S_A and an unidentified S_X phase. In addition, regardless of its molecular weight, poly ( 12-8 ) exhibits a S^*_c phase in between the S_A and S_x phases. Poly ( 12-11 ) and poly ( 12-8 ) show lower transition tem-peratures and broader temperature ranges of all their mesophases as compared to the corresponding polymers without a fluorine atom on the biphenyl group. The role of the connecting group between the biphenyl and chiral group of the mesogenic unit on the phase behavior of these polymers is also discussed. Copolymers of 12-8 with (2R,3S)-2-fluoro-3-methylpentyl 4′-(11-vinyloxyundecanyloxy)biphenyl-4-carboxylate ( 13-11 ) {i.e., poly-[( 12-8 )-co-( 13-11 )] (X/Y), where X/Y represents the molar ratio of monomer 12-8 to monomer 13-11 } with DP of ca. 11 and polydispersities lower than 1.23 were also syn-thesized and characterized. Their S_A and S^*_c mesophases exhibit continuous dependences of composition and this support the assignment of the mesophases exhibited by poly ( 12-8 ). © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Surface initiated polymerization of a cationic monomer on inner surfaces of silica capillaries: Analyte separation by capillary electrophoresis versus polyelectrolyte behavior

[2‐(Methacryloyl)oxyethyl]trimethylammonium chloride was successfully polymerized by surface‐initiated atom transfer radical polymerization method on the inner surface of fused‐silica capillaries resulting in a covalently bound poly([2‐(methacryloyl)oxyethyl]trimethylammonium chloride) coating. The coated capillaries provided in capillary electrophoresis an excellent run‐to‐run repeatability, capillary‐to‐capillary and day‐to‐day reproducibility. The capillaries worked reliably over 1 month with EOF repeatability below 0.5%. The positively charged coated capillaries were successfully applied to the capillary electrophoretic separation of three standard proteins and five β‐blockers with the separation efficiencies ranging from 132 000 to 303 000 plates/m, and from 82 000 to 189 000 plates/m, respectively. In addition, challenging high‐ and low‐density lipoprotein particles could be separated. The hydrodynamic sizes of free polymer chains in buffers used in the capillary electrophoretic experiments were measured for the characterization of the coatings.     

The theoretical study on anionic polymerization mechanism of maleimide: Chain propagation by p‐π conjugation process

A complete research on the mechanism of the anionic polymerization of maleimide was performed, not only including the chain initiation, but the propagation as well. The density functional theory method is employed to investigate the reaction pathway using 6‐311+G* basis set, and the Onsager model is also applied to imitate the effect of solvent on the structures and thermodynamic functions of the key steps. It is found that the initiation starts with a nucleophilic reaction, in which the key transition state shows a π‐complex structure. In contrast, the calculated chain propagation (both dimer and trimer process) employs a p‐π conjugation chain propagation mechanism (p‐π CCPM), characterized by the formation of p‐π conjugation orbital between the chain terminal C atom and monomer C?C double bond. This mechanism is in good agreement with the frontier molecular theory and the principle of conservation of molecular orbital symmetry. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2008     

Synthesis and characterization of polymethacrylates containing conjugated oligo(phenylene ethynylene)s as side chains

In order to form suitable systems designed for resonance energy transfer, a series of monodisperse methacrylate‐based monomers containing rigid π‐conjugated oligo(phenylene ethynylenes) with different sizes of the conjugated systems ( M1 – M3 ), and therefore different optoelectronic properties, were synthesized and subsequently polymerized using the reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer polymerization technique ( P1 – P3 ). In addition, these oligomers were also copolymerized with methyl methacrylate. The obtained polymers were characterized by ¹H NMR spectroscopy, size exclusion chromatography, and analytical ultracentrifugation. The photophysical properties of the polymers were studied by UV–vis absorption and emission spectroscopy in diluted solutions as well as in thin films and compared to the photophysics of the corresponding monomers. Thereby, changes going from monomeric to polymeric systems could be detected in fluorescence quantum yields and lifetimes pointing to energy trapping, e.g., energy transfer. Donor–acceptor copolymers containing different numbers of monomeric units within the side chain exhibit differences in the emission spectra, indicating that energy trapping in polymers is very sensitive to structural properties such as the chain length. UV–vis absorption spectroscopy as well as time‐resolved lifetime studies indicate intrapolymer and interpolymer energy transfer. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Synthesis of some novel heteroarylene ethynylene polymers containing 1,10-phenanthroline in the polymer backbone

Palladium-catalyzed polycondensation between 3,8-dibromo-1,10-phenanthroline and substituted phenyl-1,4-diacetylenes in the presence of diisopropylamine produced the soluble π-conjugated poly(heteroarylene ethynylene)s 7a and 7b . The polymers were obtained in high yields (86–92%) and had molecular weights of M̄_n = 8700 g · mol⁻¹ ( 7a ; vapor pressure osmometry) and 6900 g · mol⁻¹ ( 7b ; vapor pressure osmometry). The low molecular model compounds 6a and 6b were prepared to analyze the connection between the primary structure and spectroscopic properties. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 4442–4448, 1999     

Structure determination of three furan‐substituted benzimidazoles and calculation of π–π and C—H...π interaction energies

The synthesis and structural characterization of 2‐(furan‐2‐yl)‐1‐(furan‐2‐ylmethyl)‐1H‐benzimidazole [C₁₆H₁₂N₂O₂, (I)], 2‐(furan‐2‐yl)‐1‐(furan‐2‐ylmethyl)‐1H‐benzimidazol‐3‐ium chloride monohydrate [C₁₆H₁₃N₂O₂⁺·Cl⁻·H₂O, (II)] and the hydrobromide salt 5,6‐dimethyl‐2‐(furan‐2‐yl)‐1‐(furan‐2‐ylmethyl)‐1H‐benzimidazol‐3‐ium bromide [C₁₈H₁₇N₂O₂⁺·Br⁻, (III)] are described. Benzimidazole (I) displays two sets of aromatic interactions, each of which involves pairs of molecules in a head‐to‐tail arrangement. The first, denoted set (Ia), exhibits both intermolecular C—H...π interactions between the 2‐(furan‐2‐yl) (abbreviated as Fn) and 1‐(furan‐2‐ylmethyl) (abbreviated as MeFn) substituents, and π–π interactions involving the Fn substituents between inversion‐center‐related molecules. The second, denoted set (Ib), involves π–π interactions involving both the benzene ring (Bz) and the imidazole ring (Im) of benzimidazole. Hydrated salt (II) exhibits N—H...OH₂...Cl hydrogen bonding that results in chains of molecules parallel to the a axis. There is also a head‐to‐head aromatic stacking of the protonated benzimidazole cations in which the Bz and Im rings of one molecule interact with the Im and Fn rings of adjacent molecules in the chain. Salt (III) displays N—H...Br hydrogen bonding and π–π interactions involving inversion‐center‐related benzimidazole rings in a head‐to‐tail arrangement. In all of the π–π interactions observed, the interacting moieties are shifted with respect to each other along the major molecular axis. Basis set superposition energy‐corrected (counterpoise method) interaction energies were calculated for each interaction [DFT, M06‐2X/6‐31+G(d)] employing atomic coordinates obtained in the crystallographic analyses for heavy atoms and optimized H‐atom coordinates. The calculated interaction energies are −43.0, −39.8, −48.5, and −55.0 kJ mol⁻¹ for (Ia), (Ib), (II), and (III), respectively. For (Ia), the analysis was used to partition the interaction energies into the C—H...π and π–π components, which are 9.4 and 24.1 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. Energy‐minimized structures were used to determine the optimal interplanar spacing, the slip distance along the major molecular axis, and the slip distance along the minor molecular axis for 2‐(furan‐2‐yl)‐1H‐benzimidazole.     

Description of the S1(ππ*) state and the reinterpretation of the (1+1) REMPI spectra of N-methylpyrrole as based on the ab intio calculation: a computational spectroscopy

The ab intio calculation was performed to establish the assignment of the title spectra by such as searching for stationary points belonging to lower excited states. The lowest excited state was confirmed to be of ππ* type with an A″ symmetry of a molecular point group C_s (against the previous assumption of πΣ* type) trapped in deep potential minima at the nonplanar staggered conformation (also against the current belief on the involvement of internal rotation). Thus, lower ‘vibrational’ levels in the S₁ state were shown to be tunnel-split levels with various symmetry species for a molecular symmetry group G₁₂. Based on this finding, the spectral data as reported by Philis [Chem. Phys. Lett. 353 (2002) 84] were reassigned while applying the formalism as will be presented in Appendix A.     

Efficient Improvement of Fluorescence Quantum Yield of Fluoreneethynylene‐Based Polymers by Introducing a Perfluoroalkylbenzene Unit to the Polymers

In comparison with poly(9,9‐dialkylfluorene)s widely used in organic optoelectronic devices, poly(9,9‐dialkylfluoreneethynylene)s ( PFEs ) have attracted less attention partly because of their poor fluorescence quantum yield (FQY) in the solid state. In order to improve the FQY, a 1,4‐bis(perfluorohexyl)benzene (BFB) unit was introduced to PFEs , and the results showed that the absolute FQY in the solid state was dependent on the mol‐% of the BFB unit in the copolymers. When mol‐% was 40 and 50%, respectively, the absolute FQY had greatly increased from 4.9% of PFE to 7.8 and 17.4% of the copolymers, respectively. For comparison, a 1,4‐dihexylbenzene (DHB) unit was also introduced to PFE , whereas the obtained copolymer showed the absolute FQY of 3.8%, suggesting that the DHB unit was not suitable for improvement of the FQY of PFEs . Electrochemically, the PFE containing BFB units showed lower reduction potential than that of PFE . All the fluorine‐containing polymers have good thermal stability.

     

Short communication: An alternative and effective catalyst for the silastannation of arylacetylenes with Me3SiSnBu3 at room temperature

The palladium‐catalyzed silastannation of acetylenes with tributyl(trimethylsilyl)stannane in the presence of triethylphosphite is reported for the first time. The reaction occurs at room temperature to give (Z)‐silyl(stannyl)ethenes in high yields. The protodemetallation of the resulting adducts with HCl–tetraethylammonium chloride is described first, which demonstrates that the reaction is governed only by the stability of a carbonium ion arising from the protonation to (Z)‐silyl(stannyl)ethenes rather than the hard and soft acid and base principle, i.e. the β‐cation stabilization effect (σ–π stabilization one) of a stannyl group in the carbonium ion is rather significant. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Poly(α-isobutyl-β-D,L-aspartate)s: Polymerization effects on configuration and crystal structure of the stereocopolymers

Different polymerization methods were used for the preparation of poly(α-isobutyl-β-D ,L -aspartate)s containing variable ratios of D - to L -aspartic units and the microstructure of the resulting stereocopolymers was examined by NMR spectroscopy. Anionic ring-opening polymerization in solution of enantiomeric mixtures of α-isobutyl-β-D - and L -aspartalactams was found to proceed stereoselectively rendering block copolymers composed of right- and left-handed helical sequences. Configurationally statistical copolymers were obtained instead when the enantiomeric lactam mixtures were polymerized in the bulk. Random stereocopolymers could be prepared also by polycondensation in solution of mixtures of pentachlorophenyl α-isobutyl-β-D and -L -aspartates. The conformation in solution and the crystal structure of the resulting copolymers were investigated in connection with their stereochemical configuration and these features compared with those displayed by optically pure poly(α-isobutyl-β-L -aspartate). © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A convenient synthesis of α,α′‐ homo‐ and α,α′‐hetero‐bifunctionalized poly(ε‐caprolactone)s by ring opening polymerization: The potentially valuable precursors for miktoarm star copolymers

Two new ring opening polymerization (ROP) initiators, namely, (3‐allyl‐2‐(allyloxy)phenyl)methanol and (3‐allyl‐2‐(prop‐2‐yn‐1‐yloxy)phenyl)methanol each containing two reactive functionalities viz. allyl, allyloxy and allyl, propargyloxy, respectively, were synthesized from 3‐allylsalicyaldehyde as a starting material. Well defined α‐allyl, α′‐allyloxy and α‐allyl, α′‐propargyloxy bifunctionalized poly(ε‐caprolactone)s with molecular weights in the range 4200–9500 and 3600–10,900 g/mol and molecular weight distributions in the range 1.16–1.18 and 1.15–1.16, respectively, were synthesized by ROP of ε‐caprolactone employing these initiators. The presence of α‐allyl, α′‐allyloxy and α‐allyl, α′‐propargyloxy functionalities on poly(ε‐caprolactone)s was confirmed by FT‐IR, ¹H, ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, and MALDI‐TOF analysis. The kinetic study of ROP of ε‐caprolactone with both the initiators revealed the pseudo first order kinetics with respect to ε‐caprolactone consumption and controlled behavior of polymerization reactions. The usefulness of α‐allyl, α′‐allyloxy functionalities on poly(ε‐caprolactone) was demonstrated by performing the thiol‐ene reaction with poly(ethylene glycol) thiol to obtain (mPEG)₂‐PCL miktoarm star copolymer. α‐Allyl, α′‐propargyloxy functionalities on poly(ε‐caprolactone) were utilized in orthogonal reactions i.e copper catalyzed alkyne‐azide click (CuAAC) with azido functionalized poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) followed by thiol‐ene reaction with poly(ethylene glycol) thiol to synthesize PCL‐PNIPAAm‐mPEG miktoarm star terpolymer. The preliminary characterization of A₂B and ABC miktoarm star copolymers was carried out by ¹H NMR spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 844–860     

Polymerizations of butadiene,isoprene, and 2,3-dimethylbutadiene by Gd(OCOCCl3)3–(i-Bu)3Al–Et2AlCl and the cis polymerization mechanism for dienes

Homopolymerizations of butadiene (BD), isoprene (IP), and 2,3-dimethylbutadiene (DMBD) were carried out by a Gd(OCOCCl₃)₃-based catalyst, to investigate the effects of the energy levels of the monomers or the sterical factor of the methyl substituents on the polymerizability and the cis-selectivity of the monomers. The order of the polymerizability at 50°C was as follows: BD (4.5 kg of polymer/(mol of Gd h)) ∼ IP (4.8) > DMBD (0.6). On the other hand, the cis-selectivity of the polymers was as follows: BD (98%) > IP (94%) > DMBD (35%). These results suggest that the terminal BD and IP units are controlled by the cis configuration by the coordination between the penultimate cis-vinylene unit and the catalyst metal, whereas the penultimate DMBD unit unfavorably controls the terminal DMBD unit to the cis-1,4 configuration through the back-biting coordination with difficulty by two methyl substituents compared with the penultimate BD and IP units. The validity of the back-biting coordination was examined by MO calculation with σ-allylnickel complexes. According to the formation energy with respect to the BD–BD diad, the cis–cis form is somewhat preferable to the trans–cis form through the coordination of the penultimate BD unit by ΔE = 0.028 au (ca. 17.6 kcal/mol). © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J. Polym. Sci. A Polym. Chem. 36: 2283–2290, 1998     

N,N,N′,N′,N″‐penta(methyl acrylate)diethylenetriamine: A novel ligand for atom transfer radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate

A novel ligand, N,N,N′,N′,N″‐penta (methyl acrylate) diethylenetriamine (MA₅‐DETA), was synthesized by the reaction of diethylenetriamine with methyl acrylate in almost quantitive yield. The polymerizations of methyl methacrylate with MA₅‐DETA as the ligand and α,α‐dichlorotoluene (DCT) and ethyl 2‐bromoisobutyrate (2‐EBiB) as the initiators, respectively, under different conditions were examined. The polymerization with CuCl/MA₅‐DETA/DCT was closely controlled in bulk and gave polymers with quite narrow molecular weight distributions (M_w/M_n's) of 1.16–1.29. The polymerization with the system CuBr/MA₅‐DETA/EBiB in bulk gave high activity. However, the system was not well controlled and gave the polymers with M_w/M_n = 1.35–1.53. The solution polymerization in anisole with CuBr/MA₅‐DETA/EBiB showed a better‐controlled nature. Moreover, the addition of CuBr₂ into the aforementioned system can further improve its controllability. The M_w/M_n's of the resulting polymers ranged from 1.11 to 1.21. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 1963–1969, 2004     

Ethylene polymerization by novel Ziegler–Natta‐type catalysts obtained in situ by the oxidative addition of 8‐hydroxyquinoline‐based ligands to bis(1,5‐cyclooctadiene)nickel(0) and methylaluminoxane

Novel catalytic systems, prepared in situ by the oxidative addition of 8‐hydroxyquinoline ligands to bis(1,5‐cyclooctadiene)nickel(0) and activated by methylaluminoxane, were studied in ethylene polymerization. When 8‐hydroxyquinoline was employed, only oligomeric products were obtained. On the contrary, 5,7‐dinitro‐8‐hydroxyquinoline gave linear polyethylene (PE), but with a modest activity. For the catalyst based on 5‐nitro‐8‐hydroxyquinoline, the productivity was largely dependent on the content of free trimethylaluminum (TMA) present in the commercial aluminoxane. The progressive optimization of the TMA/oligomeric methylaluminoxane ratio increased the productivity, which reached 700 kg of PE/(mol of Ni × h), by an order of magnitude. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 200–206, 2006     

Theoretical insight into the photodeactivation pathway of the tetradentate Pt(II) complex: The π‐conjugation effect

In this work, density functional theory and time‐dependent density functional theory were used to investigate the effects of π‐conjugation of the ligand on the photophysical properties, radiative/nonradiative processes and phosphorescence quantum efficiency of tetradentate cyclometalated Pt (II) complex with carbazolyl‐pyridine ligands PtNON . By simulating the absorption spectra and emission wavelengths, increasing the π‐conjugation of the ligand could cause the absorption and emission wavelengths to red‐shift. The results of the computation of key parameters in the radiative decay process, such as singlet‐triplet splitting energy, transition dipole moment and spin‐coupled matrix element between the lowest triplet and singlet excited states, showed that the expansion of π‐conjugation on the carbazole ligand of PtNON resulted in reduction of these parameters, thereby reducing the radiation rate constant. The analyses of the PtNON nonradiative pathway also found that the high activation energy of PtNON made it one of the reasons for the high phosphorescence quantum yield. At the same time, enhancing the molecular orbital delocalization of the ligand further enlarged the energy barrier of the nonradiative pathway, and was conducive to the improvement of phosphorescence quantum yield.     

Effects of Br connected groups on atom transfer nitroxide radical coupling reaction and its application in the synthesis of comb‐like block copolymers

The effects of Br connected groups on atom transfer nitroxide radical coupling (ATNRC) reaction were investigated. Two precursors methoxyl poly(ethylene oxide)‐b‐poly(ethylene oxide‐co‐2‐bromoiso butyryloxy glycidyl ether) (mPEO‐b‐Poly(EO‐co‐BiBGE)) and methoxyl poly(ethylene oxide)‐b‐poly(2‐bromoiso butyryloxy glycidyl ether) (mPEO‐b‐Poly(BiBGE)) with different ? C(CH₃)₂Br density were designed and synthesized firstly, and then ATNRC reaction were completed between these precursors and 2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidinyl‐1‐oxy poly(ε‐caprolactone) (TEMPO‐PCL) in the presence or absence of St monomers, respectively. The results showed that the structure of Br connected groups showed an important effect on ATNRC reaction, and the ATNRC reaction with high efficiency could be realized by transforming the higher active Br connected groups into the lower one by the addition of small amount of St monomers. The final comb‐like block copolymers mPEO‐b‐[Poly(EO‐co‐Gly)‐g‐(St_1.8‐b‐PCL)] and mPEO‐b‐[Poly(Gly)‐g‐(St_2.4‐b‐PCL)] with high coupling efficiency were obtained by this strategy. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 1633–1640, 2010